Bunny🐰🪓’s review published on Letterboxd:
Living with the Dead.
Mourning Grave follows Kang In-soo, a high school student burdened with the ability to see ghosts, which has made it difficult for him to fit in. His struggle with this unsettling gift, paired with a deep-seated guilt and regret, leads him to seek solace by moving to a rural town outside of Seoul, where he first discovered his abilities as a child, during a traumatic incident at school.
Living with his uncle, who shares his supernatural abilities, In-soo hopes for a fresh start. However, his past seems determined to follow him. In-soo’s struggle to fit in is mirrored by the experiences of other students at his new school, who are constantly bullied by a group of ruthless classmates. There’s a poignant parallel between In-soo’s isolation and the alienation faced by these bullied students, highlighting the pervasive nature of loneliness and the desire for acceptance.
Despite the film’s strong premise and intriguing setup, it never quite reaches its full potential. The interactions between In-soo and his uncle were the highlights of the story, infusing the narrative with a charming blend of humor and supernatural elements. In fact, these moments have the potential to be spun into an entirely separate comedy-horror flick. However, by trying to juggle so many genres the movie ends up feeling disjointed and unfocused.
The biggest disappointment comes in the form of its finale. The climax drags on unnecessarily as if the filmmakers were trying to meet a certain runtime rather than focusing on telling a tight, impactful story. The scenes involving the ghost’s revenge were rushed, with much of the action happening off-screen. This takes away from the suspense and impact that these moments could have had.
While the film's mix of comedy, drama, and horror is not inherently a flaw, the execution falls short. The narrative could have been much more impactful had it focused more on developing its core storyline and exploring its thematic branches in a more thought-provoking manner. For instance, delving deeper into the consequences of In-soo’s gift what it means to carry such a burden and how it shapes his worldview would have provided a more compelling emotional arc.
Overall, Mourning Grave is a decent movie with an interesting premise, but it suffers from uneven pacing and an inability to tie its themes together cohesively. However, it leaves us with a lingering question, When does a gift become a curse? Can someone truly live with such a burden, or are they destined to be haunted by it forever?
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